Need help finding a motherboard.

[PurpleSuperman]

Hey guys. I'm looking to upgrade a couple of parts in my current build, but don't know enough about motherboards to know what's suitable.

Right now I'm using a Foxconn G31MX Series, which I know that it doesn't support DDR3 or have a VGA 1155 socket (sorry if I'm not being clear, this is slightly beyond my knowledge of components) which I know I'll need for my desired CPU.

Right now I'm running an Intel 2.13 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo with an AMD Radeon HD 6850 and 2gb of DDR2 RAM. I'm looking to keep that GPU, but install an Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K with 4-8GB of DDR3 RAM. None of this is purchased yet, so other recommendations won't be ignored.

My one issue right now is that beyond having the VGA 1155 socket, and DDR3 slots, I'm not sure what else to look for. If I'm being too vague, and more information is required, just ask.

As for a budget, I'm looking to spend around £250 in total. That's for the CPU (~£160), RAM and motherboard.

Thanks a lot, in advance.

[Tjj226_Angel]

You might need a budget boost.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343343343&sr=8-1

 

The is the best quality board for the cheapest price. Anything lower in price would be do to UK pricing, or it is a total piece of trash.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-HyperX-Genesis-1600MHz-Memory/dp/B004JO3L40/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1343343571&sr=8-11

 

Your basic good quality yet inexpensive ram.

 

That is close to about as good as you are going to get on your budget and even then you are still breaking the bank by 50 pounds. Maybe one of our UK members can do some price comparison on some websites to bring the cost down a notch or two, but be prepared to go over your planned budget.

[PurpleSuperman]

A budget boost isn't entirely out of the question, so that's fine. If that is the case, would you say stick with the AsRock, or go with something slightly better? As for the RAM, that can always wait, or I can stick with a single 4GB stick for now and get a second later. Is that possible?

Of course before I buy anything, I'll shop around, but thanks for the help I'll look into it more tomorrow.

[Tjj226_Angel]

A budget boost isn't entirely out of the question, so that's fine. If that is the case, would you say stick with the AsRock, or go with something slightly better? As for the RAM, that can always wait, or I can stick with a single 4GB stick for now and get a second later. Is that possible?

Of course before I buy anything, I'll shop around, but thanks for the help I'll look into it more tomorrow.

 

 

In theory you could buy a better motherboard, but nothing that justifies breaking your budget more than you already have. That asrock board is actually a very solid motherboard and competes with some of the more expensive ones, so I have no doubt that you will be very happy with it. The closest thing to an actual improvement would be to get an i5 3570K and the asrock extreme 4 mobo. That would be about 20 pounds extra for about a 10% CPU performance increase. Keep in mind though, what you would be gaining in that 20 pound difference is features that are geared more towards a (and I hesitate to even say this) content profession than a gamer for things like better CPU performance (which does nothing for your gaming experience), lucid virtue MVP (which is a good feature to have if you like to trans code media to be compatible with mobile devices), and it takes up less power / it runs cooler AT STOCK. The reason I put that in capitols is because if you like overclocking, the IB chips get really freaking hot, and the SB chips would be better of the overclocker.

 

That debate can go on for hours. Personally I would go with the IB chip and the mobo simply because theoretically it just has a few more perks to it. Even if you don't think you are going to use the extra features, you could always end up being surprised. Doesn't hurt to be ahead of the game for 20 pounds more . However, you would still be very happy with an SB chip.

 

In regards to the ram, you HAVE to get some type of DDR3 memory. You can NOT use DDR2. I would recommend that you buy an 8GB kit and just call it done. To me a gaming machine can scrape by with 4GB, but you should probably have 8. Plus considering the price difference between 4 and 8GB of ram, you might as well start checking your couch, car, and laundry for loose money to buy the extra 4GB.

[wevsspot]

I'm in complete agreement with Tj. A socket 1155 based rig using a 2500K would be a sweet upgrade and not break the bank too bad. If you're running Vista or Win7 and want to do any serious work or gaming with your rig spring for the 8Gb kit of RAM. Even if you have to settle for DDR3 1333 instead of anything faster. The extra memory capacity is more important than the memory speed.

 

I also like the ASRock board that Tj is recommending. A fair priced performer that most buyers seem pretty happy with.

[Waco]

I present this as an alternative: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-XKT-1155-Z68AP-D3-Motherboard-Rev/dp/B0054X4I4M/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343407546&sr=1-1

 

It's a LOT less expensive and unless the OP is planning on going Crossfire/SLI it will perform essentially the same (especially with a 2500K). What's the point in spending extra money for features he won't use? This board, for 40 pounds less, can still clock well (even with a 2600K you're almost guaranteed 4.4 GHz...more with a 2500K), and keeps more cash in his pocket.

[Tjj226_Angel]

I present this as an alternative: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-XKT-1155-Z68AP-D3-Motherboard-Rev/dp/B0054X4I4M/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343407546&sr=1-1

 

It's a LOT less expensive and unless the OP is planning on going Crossfire/SLI it will perform essentially the same (especially with a 2500K). What's the point in spending extra money for features he won't use? This board, for 40 pounds less, can still clock well (even with a 2600K you're almost guaranteed 4.4 GHz...more with a 2500K), and keeps more cash in his pocket.

 

I will never buy a bargain model of a motherboard ever again especially the gigabyte boards. They don't fail on me as much as they fail on my friends. One guy got a board not too dissimilar to this one, and it was DOA. He exchanged it for another board of the same model, and it was DOA as well. He had me test it, and there definitely was an issue with it. He finally exchanged it for a third mobo and it worked for about 3 months and then died. After working with him on it we finally said F it and we got a more mid range 1556 mobo and it is still working for him 2 years later.

 

Now this has not only happened to my friend, but it has also happened on builds I have done for other people. I would say that I have had a bunch of minute problems with mobos over the years, but these budget boards have been the only ones that have just really failed (6 in total).

 

Quite frankly, if the OP is buying a 2500K over a regular 2500, than he should invest the extra 40 pounds in a good motherboard.

[Waco]

Quite frankly, if the OP is buying a 2500K over a regular 2500, than he should invest the extra 40 pounds in a good motherboard.

That Gigabyte board is a good motherboard. It'll clock nearly as well as any other with a lower-power CPU like the 2500K and it has the same warranty as the higher-end boards.

 

 

40 pounds is over 50% more money for a board that does essentially the same thing...

[wevsspot]

Won't ever find me dissing GB boards. I've had some dandies. Oh my, I just happen to have a dandy right now too. If it's good enuf for me it's good enuf for you

[Tjj226_Angel]

That Gigabyte board is a good motherboard. It'll clock nearly as well as any other with a lower-power CPU like the 2500K and it has the same warranty as the higher-end boards.

 

 

40 pounds is over 50% more money for a board that does essentially the same thing...

 

 

Here is my crux with it. Right now there seems to be a boot loop issue with it when you flash your BIOS. The issue is that I can NOT tell if that is simply because the new BIOS update fails because of people trying to run IB chips with it, or if that effects SB too.

 

Lets just say for all intensive purposes that the boot loop issue is caused by the customer.

 

That board still only has a 4 pin connector for the cpu, practically no heatsink for the VRM and the mosfets, has a parallel port where USB ports should be going. I don't even want to think about the power delivery system.

 

I mean is that the kind of motherboard you would want? I think that kind of mobo is designed for a kid who is trying to build a computer for the family on a stupidly tight budget and wants to keep it compatible with their dinosaur peripherals, but still wants to use a i5 2400 and a 60GB SSD for caching. To me if price limitations were so bad that you could not buy at least cheap quality components, then it might be worth considering buying older gen stuff to save a few bucks.

 

So in short, not only am I not sure that the board is even stable, but I would argue that it isn't even worth the money. Get something reputable and cheap before you get something the is crap and cheap.

 

Even though it pains me deeply to say this, but has the Op considered a AMD phenom chip?

[Waco]

Here is my crux with it. Right now there seems to be a boot loop issue with it when you flash your BIOS. The issue is that I can NOT tell if that is simply because the new BIOS update fails because of people trying to run IB chips with it, or if that effects SB too.

 

Lets just say for all intensive purposes that the boot loop issue is caused by the customer.

 

That board still only has a 4 pin connector for the cpu, practically no heatsink for the VRM and the mosfets, has a parallel port where USB ports should be going. I don't even want to think about the power delivery system.

 

I mean is that the kind of motherboard you would want? I think that kind of mobo is designed for a kid who is trying to build a computer for the family on a stupidly tight budget and wants to keep it compatible with their dinosaur peripherals, but still wants to use a i5 2400 and a 60GB SSD for caching. To me if price limitations were so bad that you could not buy at least cheap quality components, then it might be worth considering buying older gen stuff to save a few bucks.

 

So in short, not only am I not sure that the board is even stable, but I would argue that it isn't even worth the money. Get something reputable and cheap before you get something the is crap and cheap.

Funny, I have two of them in the office with me and both will take a 2600K to 4.4 GHz without even showing any signs of stress (the 4 pin connector is rated to ~150 watts, plus board power). You do realize that OCC uses them in their testing rigs, right? They get HAMMERED on daily.

 

The boot loop issue affects almost all Gigabyte boards (my UD4 included) and it basically only happens if you're overclocked and use the reset button (rather than the power button) to cycle the machine. All it takes is a full shutdown to get rid of it. You shouldn't buy a Z68 board if you're going to use IB IMHO...and the OP isn't...so it's a moot point anyway.

 

The Gigabyte board is both reputable and cheap. You call it crap but you clearly have never touched one.

 

 

The Gigabyte board, new RAM, and a 2500K would be an absolutely stellar upgrade. Take the extra 40 pounds saved on the motherboard to buy a decent aftermarket cooler and *shabam*...awesome rig!

[PurpleSuperman]

I'm more than prepared to spend the extra £40 if it will guarantee better performance and stability. But if the Gigabyte board will definitely do me well, then I'm happy to go with that. If money was less of an issue, would getting a better Gigabyte model be a good idea? Or is that unnecessary?